Measuring the Success of Your Town Hall Meeting Media Coverage

Your Town Hall Meeting (THM) was a hit and you got lots of media coverage. What now? Collect evidence of what you accomplished, show it off, and evaluate the effect of the coverage so you can show how THMs focus widespread community attention on underage drinking.

Collecting media clips
Clippings provide concrete proof that your message on preventing underage drinking is reaching significant numbers of citizens. So, it’s vital to have a plan to capture and highlight your media coverage.

First, set up a system to monitor media coverage and to track and collect mentions of your THM. If you are in an area with a large media market, a media clipping service might be useful—if you have the budget. Some States have a press association that offers clipping services at a lower cost than commercial services like Burrell’s or Bacon’s.

Most of us will find clippings ourselves—with a little help from our friends. Appoint a media coverage team to monitor newspapers, radio, television, and local Web sites, including blogs and online media. Enlist students and volunteers who are avid readers, watchers, listeners, and "Googlers." Ask them to:

• Look for relevant letters to the editor, editorials, and regular articles. Also ask them to capture proclamations, announcements at city council meetings, and listings in event calendars.
• Tape a radio or television story, if you know when it will be airing. If you don’t, assign key people to videotape the local news at 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. (or other appropriate times) to capture radio and televised coverage.
• Request taped copies of scheduled interviews from the reporter before the interviews happen. Set up a Google alert using keywords such as “town hall meeting” and “underage drinking” as well as details that are particular to your event, such as your town or venue name.
• Collect everything—mentions on local blogs, school newsletter notices, or church bulletins.

Presenting and sharing your clips
Now that you have your clippings, it’s time to show them off. Simply pasting your clippings on paper doesn’t do justice to your efforts—and results. A sharp presentation will make your annual report shine or help your organization when it applies for funding. Clippings will also help make your case stronger when your organization communicates the benefits of a THM to local policymakers or future partners. Below are some ideas for sharing your clippings:

• Post links on your Web site to online media coverage of your THM, with a summary highlighting the event’s successes and outcomes.
• Create a spreadsheet of media placements. Include the name of the outlet, date, and time that the report aired or the article was published, as well as the length of the story or spot.
• Include the estimated circulation or audience and the media value of the spot or story. You can arrive at an exact value for radio exposure if you are in an Arbitron-rated market and know the day and time your story aired. You can also find average ad rates in your market. Newspapers’ display ad rates will allow you to estimate the value of a particular story. Get ad rates from the TV station ad sales manager.
• Scan your clippings into a Word or PDF document, and you’ll have an invaluable archive system that is paperless and easy to store.
• Insert media clips into a PowerPoint presentation to share with stakeholders. Email your clippings (e.g., newspaper articles, press releases, proclamations, photos, videos, as well as links and text posted on your blogs, Facebook, and Twitter pages or other social media sites) to info@stopalcoholabuse.net or send copies by regular mail to:
  
  Attn: Town Hall Meeting Clippings
  11420 Rockville Pike
  Rockville, MD 20852.
  

Students or other volunteers who are computer graphics-proficient can create an attractive media clippings montage online. Otherwise, scissors and paste will do the trick. If you’ve amassed a large number of clippings, put together a “best of” selection of your most impressive clippings, along with a one-page summary. Scan the selection or montage into your computer and share it with CSAP, colleagues, staff members, volunteers, partner organizations, and other stakeholders.

Evaluating your coverage
There are both quantitative and qualitative ways to measure your media success. Beyond newspaper circulation or radio reach, consider results such as increased attendance, Web visits, and call volume--if you can attribute them to media coverage.

Qualitative factors include: Did your story obtain good placement in the paper or on air? Was the coverage positive, negative, or neutral? Were quotes by your spokespeople used? Did the media outlet most popular among your target audience include a piece about your THM?

If media coverage doesn’t reflect the key messages you developed and included in your materials, that outlet may have a differing perception of underage drinking prevention. Provide more factual information and testimonials from known and respected authorities in your backgrounder. You can also contact the editor of the paper or news director at the station to discuss their treatment of the story.

A lot of time, expense, and effort go into working with the media. Media clips can justify that investment. Think about how you could save time and maximize effectiveness next time. Then, capture lessons learned so that your organization can achieve even greater success next time.